The present invention relates to a guide loop assembly for a seat belt system. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a guide loop assembly having a cover with an integral adapter piece. Embodiments of the present invention relate to a guide loop assembly having distinct front and back cover pieces.
Guide loop assemblies are mounted on the frame of a vehicle for directing a webbing such as a shoulder belt or seat belt above an occupant's shoulder. The guide loop assemblies, also known as “D-rings”, are usually made with a load bearing steel core. The core has one end mounted to the vehicle's frame by a fastener and a separate opening that receives the seat belt.
One standard type of core has a curved, saddle-shaped, load-bearing wall to support the seat belt. The load-bearing wall faces the opening that receives the seat belt and provides a smooth turning point in the seat belt's pathway to permit easy adjustment of the seat belt. The curved, load-bearing wall extends away from the opening and forms an outer rim on the core with two generally parallel flanges spaced apart from each other. In contrast, other cores require extra plastic pieces or low-friction coatings to faun the seat that the seat belt rests on and slides against, adding to the expense of the assembly.
Known guide loop assemblies with the double-flange type of core have covers attached to the ends of the flanges to make the guide loop assembly more aesthetically pleasing and to match the decor of the interior of the vehicle. The covers also act to protect the core from wear and to protect an occupant who may impact the edges of the flanges on the guide loop assembly during a vehicle collision.
One such cover is described by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0012321 to Moendel et al. which discloses a single cover piece clipped on, or injection molded with, both flanges of the core. The cover piece is designed so that the belt-bearing wall of the core straddles the solid piece of the cover under the core that completely fills the space between the flanges of the core. The single piece construction also has a complicated shape with a number of horizontal support ribs on one side and a protruding circular segment on the other side for abutting the bottom edges of the flanges of the core. Such a configuration is relatively expensive since it requires more material and adds complexity to the molds used to produce the cover piece.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,327 issued to Janz requires a large number of components for the D-ring including a pair of side cover members that are slid laterally onto the D-ring from opposite sides thereof, a stop disk for limiting the angle of turning of the D-ring, an adapter having a collar for mounting about the bolt fasteners, and a cover cap. These large number of components require assembly, separate inventory and other considerations adding to the final cost of manufacture and assembly of the guide loop assembly requires unnecessary structure in the form of a spiraling wall as part of a core cover. The wall is disposed underneath the seat-belt bearing surface of the core, raising the cost of the assembly.
Some known guide loop assemblies also have energy absorbing adapters attached to the D-ring core for covering the fastener and D-ring core and positioned to absorb energy received from impact forces from an occupant's head hitting the guide loop assembly during a vehicle collision. Sometimes the adapter also extends over the belt receiving surface on the D-ring core to reduce the size of the opening receiving the seat belt to a thin slot in order to maintain the seat belt against the core's load bearing wall.
A number of these conventional energy absorbing adapters are distinct from the core and the other cover pieces on the core. These adapters have a back or base, a front cover piece and a bendable hinge piece connecting the top of the base to the top of the front cover. With these configurations, the energy absorbing adapter is assembled on the core by mounting the base on the rear of the core, and then bending the hinge to mount the front cover on the front of the core.
Another type of adapter is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,311 issued to Pfeiffer, which discloses molding a cover as a coating over most of the D-ring core and provide a hinged fastener cover that is integrally attached by the cover coating which is an ionomer plastic resin or other lubricous polymeric material such as DuPont's Bexloy W. The coating of material is molded over most of the core body. Because the cover is integral with the coating, it is also made from the same material as the coating. Rather than the belt sliding over a metal-double flanged guide loop surface, in this patent the belt slides over the plastic molded coating on the core.
Accordingly, a need exists for a more efficient construction of a guide loop assembly with a double-flanged core. More particularly, an aesthetically pleasing guide loop assembly that provides manufacturing and attendant cost efficiencies while protecting an occupant from injury would be desirable.